Linguistic Notes


39. Old Apache Customs

(39.1)

     1. joogobago 'poorly'. joogoba 'it is poor, sad, in need of help'. Cf. joo- |...-ba 'to be kind' [imp. neut. intr.].

     2. chidik11go > Chiricahua.

(39.2)

     1. b4goos'eely1 'that had been spread out'. pass. perf. of 04-go- ...[si- perf.]-'o[ 'to spread out' [act. with go- place object ?].

     2. 'iban '1daat'47 'things like deerskin'. -ban 'tanned skin'. Distrib. 3rd person of '1-ni-...-t'4 'to be so' [imp. neut. intr.].

     3. nkeedanl9 'it flowed down'. nkee- 'down'; da- > daa- distrib.; nl9 '[water] flows' should read ]l9 [ni- perf. neut. intr.].

     4. zas naa[t8go 'when it snowed'. zas 'snow' plus naa[ti 'it rains' [imp, neut. intr. with prefix naa- 'down'].

     5. hago 'in the winter'. ha 'winter'.

(39.3)

     1. k'aast'3 'they were feathered'. k'aa 'arrow' plus the pass. perf. of ...[si- perf.]-t'3 'to feather an arrow' [act. tr.].

     2. hiisk'aashgo 'sharpened'. Pass. perf. of hi-|...[si- perf.]-k'ash 'to sharpen' [act. tr.].

     3. k'1daas'3 'they were set in'. Distrib. pass. perf. of k'1- |...[hi- perf.]-'aa 'to set a round object in' [act. tr.]. k'1- ?. The text form has the si- perf. because of the distrib. prefix. Note that the text form lacks the -d- classifier.

(39.4)

     1. ts4beeshdi[t['9d4 'slingshot'. ts4 'stone'; bee- 'by means of it' [?]. No further analysis.

     2. '7l33hd4 'spear'.

     3. beedaaj00shiizhn1'a 'they fought with them'. bee- 'by means of them' plus the 3a person distrib. perf. of hi- |...[hi- perf.]- zhish 'to spear, stab with a spear' [act. tr.].

(39.5)

     1. bik'a'n1'a '[were] their weapons'. -k'a', poss. of k'aa 'arrows, weapons'.

     2. goost1]di[ta[7 'six- shooter'. goost1] 'six'. di[ta[, also heard dii[ta[, imp. of di-|...[si- perf.]-ta[ 'to burst, pop, explode' [act. intr.; di-| noise].

     3. nd4d1[eendasijaa7 'a whole camp of Indians ['a whole camp of People' -- MEC]. nd4 'Indians' [This edition translates the term as 'People', see linguistic note to Chiricahua text 6.3, 2 -- MEC]; d1[een 'just one time'; dasijaa 'a mass or clump lies upon' [3rd person si- perf. neut. with prefix d1h- 'on'].

     4. beenaa['a'1[1d3 'you could make slaves of them by means of it at that time'. bee- 'by means of it'; naa['a 'slave, he is sent about', pass. imp. of naa-|...[si- perf.]-[-'a 'to command, send for'; '1[1, 2nd person dual of '1-...[? perf.]- l1 'to do, make' [act, tr.]; -d3 'at that time'.

(39.6)

     Literally, the first line of this passage reads: "Being difficult [or dangerous] / Indians [this edition translated as 'The People' -- MEC] / it was, it is said."

     2. bee'itsee[ntsaa7 'big axes' and bee'itsee[biz33y47 'small axes'. bee'itsee[ 'axe'; bee- 'by means of it' plus the 3rd person imp. with indef. obj. of ...[hi- perf.]-tsee[ 'to chop' [act. tr.].

     3. d1ts4deend7n1 'only sharp stones'. d1-...-n1 'just, only'; ts4 'stones'; deend7 'it is sharp' [no analysis].

     4. daagob4zhen1'a 'their knives'. -b4zhe, poss. form of b44sh 'knife'.

(39.8)

     1. The second line of this passage is literally as follows: "Sticks / two / one / on the ground / it lying / the other / from on it / it standing / they customarily twirling it into it / they customarily took fire out by means of it, it is said."

     2. baa'n1daa'shdi[hisgo 'they customarily twirling it into it'. 3a person distrib. iter. with indef. obj. of 0aa-'i-di-...[hi- perf.]- [-gh44s 'to twirl in something' [act. tr.]. aa- 'to'; 'i- 'away, in'; di- ?.

     3. beek -- han1daaji'1n1'a 'they customarily took fire out by means. of it'. bee- 'by means of it'; k -- 'fire' plus 3a person distrib. iter. of ha- |...[hi- perf.]- 'aa 'to take out around solid object' [act. tr.].

     4. 'its88sb44zh7 'boiled meat'. -ts88 'meat' plus hiisb44zh7 'it has been boiled' [3rd person si- perf., act. intr.].

     5. n1b4'ijiya[tsin1'a 'they turned it over'. 3a person prog. of n1- 04-'i-|...[si- perf.]-[-tsi 'to turn over' [act. intr.]. The theme: 'to cause a long pointed object to move'. n1- 'around'; 4- 'against'; 'i- | ?. See linguistic note to Chiricahua text 17.1, 6.

     6. hadaa'jich'iish7 'that which they had hollowed out'. 3a person distrib. imp. with indef. obj. of ha-|...[hi- perf.]-ch'iish 'to hollow out' [act. tr.; ha- | 'out'].

     7. gobee'n[nd4d7n1'a 'their spoons were'. bee'n[4d7, an archaic relative of ee- 'by means of it' plus the 3rd person imp. with indef. obj, of ni- ...[si- perf.]-[-nd4 'to eat soup or mush- like substances' [act. tr.].

     8. A literal translation of the sixth sentence of this passage follows: "Trees that are big / that stand erect / being from [their] sides / wood that is ball-shaped / that which juts out from them here and there / its insides / that which they hollow out / just that / their cups, it is said."

(39.9)

     1. bih00le7da 'even beans'. bih00le7 > Spanish frijole 'beans'.

     2. Only those of the names of the plants and animals mentioned in this passage which can be analyzed are discussed below.

     'ighe'4[tsoi 'acorns'. 'ighe'4 'seed' plus - [tso- bound form of [itso 'it is yellow' and -i a relative ?.

      ch7[ch8 'sumac berries'. ch7- ? plus the theme - [-ch8 'to give off an odor'.

      hoshjish0h4 'cactus' [sp.]'. hosh 'cactus, thorn' plus -jish0h4 ? [perhaps related to -[-zh0 'to sweep, brush'].

      nd1azhin 'spurge'. nd1a 'eye'; -zhin 'black' [related to [i-ni-...zh8 'to be black'?].

      t['ahtso 'dropseed'. t['ah- bound form of t['oh 'grass'; - tso compounded form of ni-...-tso 'to be big'.

      t['ohgah4e 'lip fern'. t['oh; 'grass'; gah4e > Spanish café 'coffee'.

      dzi[daisk1n4 'mountain plants'. dzi[ 'mountain'; daisk1n4 ?.

      gahbind1a 'wild potatoes [sp.]'. gah 'rabbit'; bind1a 'his eyes'.

      mad11ya > Spanish pitahaya.

      [tsi[nd11'[tsoi bito'7 Hoijer provides the following analysis of this contruction, but he does not provide a gloss for construction as a whole -- MEC] tsi[nd11' 'bee'; -[tso > [itso 'it is yellow'. bito'7 'its juice', -to' poss. form of to' 'water'.

      di[ta[4 'juniper berries [sp.]', archaic relative of di[ta[ 'it bursts, explodes' [3rd person imp., act. intr.].

      di[ta[4tso 'juniper berries [sp.]'. -tso 'big'.

      n1a'ts7lidi[hi[7 'buffalo'. n1a'ts7li 'cattle' di[hi[7 'it is black'.

(39.10)

      bik'ehnaakan1'a 'they were obedient'. bik'eh 'in accordance with it, by reason of it' plus naaka 'several move about, live' [3rd person cont. imp. of -k1 'several move' with prefix naa-| 'about'].

(39.11)

     1. doh1] bich'88l0jigoda 'one behaves foolishly to no one'. do-...-da negative; -ch'88 'toward' plus 3a person of l0- ...-go 'to be crazy, foolish' [imp. neut. intr.]. This verb is derived from Spanish loco [see 38.21].

     2. Y00s] 'God'. y00s- > Spanish Diós; -] relative.

(39.12)

     1. jeek6y07, 'it['1y07 'the girls, the boys'. jeek6 'girl'; 'it['1- bound form of 'it['1]- 'boy'. -y0 plural suffix [see linguistic note to Chiricahua text 20.4, 3].

     2. naadin 'anshdl11nsh9 nd1s1 been1daa'nat'99[ 'they were twenty five and over'. naadin 'twenty' [cf. naaki 'two'; -din '-ty']; 'anshdl11- bound form of 'anshdl117 'five'; - n 'times'; -sh9 'from'; nd1s1 'farther on'. been1daa'nat'99[, distrib. prog. of 0ee-n1-'i-ni- ...[si- perf]-t'3 'so many years have passed with one' [act. intr.]. ee- 'with'; n1-?i-?; ni- terminative. The theme alone: 'to grow'.

     3. gonii][t'4 'they overmastered them'. 3rd person of 0-nii-di-ni-...-[- t'4 'to get the best of, to overcome' [imp. neut. intr.]. nii- ?; di-ni- adj. [?].

     4. yeenaats4kees 'they thought by means of them'. yee- 'by means of them' plus the 3rd person imp. of naa-ts4- ...[si- perf.]-kees 'to think' [act. intr.].